Thrust-bearing.



H. G. JOHNSTON.

.THRQST BEARING. APPLICATION FILED IEB. e, 1912.

fggsgu Patented 5311.7, 1913.

2 SHEETSv I'LHEET 2.

entrai' senese HORACE Gr.

JOHNSTON, OF CORSCN., TEXAS.

manner-eenzame Application To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that l, Homer: G. JOHNSTON, a Citizen of the United States, residing at Corsieana, in the count-y of Navarro and State ofTeXas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in l`hrust-l3ear ings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ot the invention, such as will enable others skilled in `the. art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to thrust bearings and has for an object to provide a bearing of the ball, roller or eone type with improved means for equalizing the stress applied to and upon all of suoli antii'rietion members. i

A further object ot the invention is to provide between the xed rollers or raee rings for the cone or ball bearings, a Heating ring so Constructed that when moved late ally it varies the thickness of thatportion of such floating ringr interposed between any given points of the lined race rings.

, A further object ot' the invention is to provide a raee. ring fixed to one member, as the moving member, carrying a race ring fixed to another member, as the stationary meinber, anti-friction means in engagement with both ot said rare rings anl with a tioating ring interposed between the tivo sets of antifrietion devices adapted to move laterally to a limited extent to compensate Ylor possible differences in the interval between such fixed raee rings. I

lYith these and other objects in view the invention comprises certain novel oonstruo-l tions, combinatimis and arrangement of parts will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings :v-Figure 1 is a longitudinal, vertical, diametrieal, sectional view through the improved bearin". Fig. 2 is a.

fragmentary, longitudinal, vertical, diametrieal section, showing` a slight modification in the arrangement of the ball Cage in one of the fined race rings. Fig. 3 is top plan View of the ball cage with the balls .in position, the center shaft being shown in section.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Qian. *2,1%1151,

filed February 6, 1912. Serial No. 675,858.

Lil fharacters of reference indicate oorresi -nding parts throughout the several View".

lVhile the present thrust bearing` primarily intended for use in association with 'hydraulic swivels, such for instance as d1sclosed in applieants Patent No. 12,2 2 reissued December 17th, 1907, or the pa applieant and J. B. 7Norris No. sued December 10th, 1907, it is to he `f stood that the use of such bearing limited to swivels but is adapted r r any thrust bearing the axis of which is normally vertical.

As illustrated, the central shaft 10 is shown hollow to constitute the swivel stem ol the hydraulic swivel when so employed.

Upon such central shaft 10 a uut 11 is fixed' preferably by the screw threads 12 although it will be understood that the manner of fixing said nut upon said shaft is Wholly inmiaterial to the present invention. Also as shown. .the nutV 1l is provided with a down 'ardly extendingY flange or housing 13 `within which is located the collar or race ring' 14. it. being understood that the flange i?) is only a proteetion against the introduction ot dirt to the moving'parts and is nonessential to the invention.

Below the nut- 11 a member 15,5 is employed 1.vhirh is supported in any approved manner and vtrom any souree. The part 15 being termed an abutment is [movida-d with a race riue 16 spaced :from the race ring '14.

Between the race rings 'liland 16 a floatingl ring 1T is eu'iployed supported by means oi' balls 18 and in turn supporting cones 19 which also the under side of the race ring 14. The balls 18 are preferably retained in position by means of a cage 20 which may float freely, as indicated in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, or which is retained against rotation by lugs 21 inserted into sockets 22 formed in therace 1G or in any approved manner to prevent the cage 20 from rotating While' permitting it to move laterally to a limited extent.

The under side. of the race ring 14 is provided vvith an annular furrow 23 slightly Wider than the length of the cones'19 while thc floating ring 17 is provided with a furrow Qll also slightly wider than the length of the cones 19 so that the ring 17 may move laterally, such lateral movement moving the cones at one side relative to the ring 14- while 'the cones at the opposite side remain stationary and the ring 17 vmoves relative to such rings.

The under side 25 of the floating ring' 17 and the upper side Q6 of the race ring 16 are formed as annular segments of a sphere, the surface the ring 16 being concave while the surface of the floating ring 17 is convex. v

In the use of thrust bearings with rollers, balls or cones interposed, absolute accuracy of machining is required to produce bearings which bear with equal stress` upon all of the antifrictlon means, such a.

degree of nicety being essential as to make the practical construction of such a bearing almost an impossibility. Furthermore, in ease the temper of the race rings varies, difference in wear is produced so that after using a short time the softer parts do not carry their share of the load imposed upon the antifriction means.

With the device as shownin the drawing, incase the space between the rings 141 and 16, for instance at the left side, is greater than that at the right, the. dierential pressure upon the right side will cause the fioating rin 17 to move to the left, rolling upon the balls 18.` This moving of the ring 17 to the left causes the left end of the ring 17 to move'so that the ball at that end engages a thicker portion, both of such rings 17 and the supporting ring 16 whereby the ring 17 is lifted at the left side and lowered at the right side. Coincidentally, the coneA at the right side is moved toward the left whereby it engages in the narrower portion of the furrows while the ring 17 moving` to the left also forces such ring downwardly by reason of the inclination of the eontacting surfaces of the furrows. ift il thus be seen that 'whenever excess stir/ss applied to either side of the bearing, tie floating ring 17 immediately moves toward the opposite side rolling laterally upon the balls 18 to constantly and at all times completely equalize the pressure upon all of the anti friction means, bot-h the cones 19 and the balls 18.

It is wholly immaterial whether the ball cage 2O with the balls 18 rotate with or about the central shaft or whether they remain stationary, both actions being provided for in the disclosure. ln the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 the balls 18 and cage 2O are free to rotate about thc shaft 10 as an axis while at Fig. 2 the ball cage is held from rotation about the central shaft an axis and is free to move to a limited extent only laterally or transversely relative to such shaft. The abutment 15 is also preferably chambered out as shown at 27 and rollers 28 carried therein which engage the periphery of the central shaft 10 to prevent its binding against the walls of the abutment. The ring` 1G is seated in an annular chamber formed in the top of the abutment 15 and is removable to permit the insertion and removal of the rollers 28.

l claim 1. In a thrust bearing, a rotary shaft, a race ring carried by the shaft and provided with a conic furrow, a floating race ring havinglateral movement with respect to the shaft arranged below said first-mentioned race ring and provided with a conic furrow complementary to thel first-mentioned conic furrow, antifriction cones positioned in said furrows,an abutment, a third race ring secured to the abutment below the second race ringand having a concave spherical surface adjacent thereto, said second race ring having a spherical con Vex lower surface, and a plurality of balls between said spherical concave and convex surfaces, whereby, when pressure is brought to bear upon one side a differential compensating movement is produced by the cones, the balls, and the float-ing ring.

2. In a thrust bearing, a. rotatable shaft, an abutment surrounding said shaft, a race ring carried by the abutment havingl a spherically concave upper surface inclined downwardly toward the shaft, a second race ring disposed above-said first ring provided with a spherical convex lower surface and an annular furrow in its upper surface spaced from the spherical concave surface of the first ring and free to move laterally of the shaft to a limited extent, a ball cage interposed between the rings and capable of lateral movement, balls within the cage and between the first and second rings, a third race ring carried by said shaft spaced above the second ring having an annular furrow in the under surface thereof, antifriction supporting concs engaging the fur rows of the second and third rings of less length than said furrows to bind the-cones in the furrows upon lateral moveinnt of the middle ring.

3. Tn a thrust bearing, a rotatable shaft, an abutment surrounding said shaft, a race ring carried by the abutment ,having a spherically concave upper surface inclined downwardly toward the shaft, a second race ring disposed above said first ring provided with a spherical convex lower surface and an annular furrow in its upper surface spaced from the spherical concave surface of the first ring and free to move laterally of the shaft to a limited extent, a ball cage interpoml bctiveim the rinus and capable lOl " *L movement but heidi against 10- fum-OWS upon Iaterl movement of tlie md- 1n me ment, balls Within the cage and. die ring.

I hmmm he fiest anni second rings, a third n testimony whereof I laflix my signature mig carried by said shaft spaced above in presence ofvtwo witnesses. seooidrmg havmgan annuler furrow in under surface thereof, alitiriotion HORA-CE'G' JOHNSTON' siipporing cones engaging the furrowsof. Witnesses:

the secondend third rings of less length L. L. MORRILL,

dien said fur'ows to bind the cones in the N. L.4 MEEM. 

